“He’s really been rebounding well for us,” Las Vegas coach Jason Wilson said of Henderson. “I told him, ‘I don’t care how many you score, I really don’t, as long as you rebound.’ The last three or four games he’s really done a good job of that.”

Wilson said Henderson had averaged 12 rebounds in that span as the Wildcats have won three straight and four of their last five.

The victory at Chaparral Monday puts Las Vegas in fourth place in the division and in control of its own destiny when it comes to landing a playoff spot.

“I did what I needed to do for the team,” Henderson said. “Everyone played their role and if that happens, we’ll get the victory like we did tonight.”

The game started as a battle of styles. Chaparral tried to slow the pace and employ deliberate half-court sets, while Las Vegas sprinted down the floor every time it got a chance.

“We have some pretty good athletes and we wanted them to play slow and us to play fast,” Wilson said. “We got some opportunities to do that.”

Sanico finished with 10 points and six assists. Dunigan dished four assists, while adding 12 points.

The Henderson, Sanico and Dunigan trio played its best in the second quarter, helping Las Vegas outscore Chaparral 21-10. The Wildcats took a 34-18 lead into halftime, which proved to be a large enough cushion even when the Cowboys went on multiple runs to cut the margin to less than nine points.

“I think the kids, offensively, are finally buying into what we’re doing a little bit,” Wilson said. “We’re knocking down shots and making free throws and that makes a difference.”

Wilson also mentioned that the Wildcats were playing better defense. Henderson was at the forefront of that effort, too, against Chaparral.

He limited touches and boxed out the Cowboys biggest threat, 6-foot-8 center Zach Kirshbaum, who had 13 points and six rebounds.

“Right now, 50 percent of the kids in this school don’t graduate high school. Is that acceptable to you? Think about that. Right now, some of the friends that you’re with aren’t going to graduate. Is that OK? That’s unacceptable to me. I think you guys ought to kick all of us out.”